Foo Me Once. . . (Worms & Dirt) Part 7 - Final

My 8 year old and toddler shared Worms and Dirt, which, of course, was a big hit, and while the name of the dessert was just the thing to appeal to my 8 year old, it was sadly very short on taste. This was off the grocery store shelf chocolate pudding with smashed up Oreos, gummy worms, and gummy bears thrown on top. I suppose it really was probably just fine for the cheap chocolate pudding that it was and my sons had no complaints, but looking at a total bill of over $100 for the rest of the meal, well…I won’t be back, even if I should try the lobster and the black bean sauce.
NYMag critics: it’s time to go back to Ruby Foo’s and update your ratings; until then, Foo me once. . . .

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Foo Me Once. . . (Oolong Tea) Part 6

Uneasy at just having eaten room temperature sushi--without at least the reward/distraction of a flavorful interior, and it being the last dish for us, I was seized with an urgent need for some hot, cleansing Oolong tea. Apparently, the tea guy was on break, so our server had a time finding someone to make the tea. The tea was hot enough, for sure, but had not been left to steep long enough, so my husband and I finished our meal with darn hot Oolong water.

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Foo Me Once. . . (Ribs and Sushi) Part 5

The ribs came with a coating that I believe was a quarter inch thick and so gooey that with a little more cooking, could have hardened enough to coat a candied apple. The flavorings were lost in overcooked gooey glaze. The rib meat was overcooked, but edible. The food runner had forgotten our monster roll, which had been prepared by the sushi chef (I presume), so it was lukewarm by the time we asked for it. The appeal of a partially cooked roll (at least to me) is the hot, crunchy exterior and the cool raw fish interior. Without the crackling hot exterior counterpoint to the smooth cool interior, I found myself hyper focused on the flavor of the interior, which turned out to be bland.

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Foo Me Once. . . (Edamame Hummus) Part 4

The edamame hummus was good; great texture and subtle flavor. It would have benefited from more garlic and a bit more salt and pepper to enliven it. The accompaniments, feta cheese and roasted red pepper seemed at best an afterthought and at worst, just heavy handed and unimaginative. They had the effect of overpowering the delicate edamame. The edamame hummus was also served with wheat pita, which further overpowered it. I suggest serving it with shrimp chips. Those would also be a big hit with kids, especially the multicolored ones. Or, fried rice puffs. Or, soy seaweed wrappers. Something that allows the edamame to stand out.

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82 out of 168 people found this review helpful.

Foo Me Once. . . . (Dumplings) Part 3

We had ordered the dim sum sampler, the tamarind spare ribs, edamame hummus, a monster roll (deep fried partially cooked sushi roll), and a grilled cheese sandwich with fries for my son (hey, he's a sushi guy, so the grilled cheese was actually an exotic opportunity for him). I was anxious to try the dim sum: 2 each of fried wonton with five spiced beef, chicken dumplings, and shrimp dumplings. The won ton was gooey crisp-greasy. The other dumplings tasted like frozen, reheated dumplings. Dim sum that I buy from the frozen food markets like Great Wall in New Jersey are far better than the ones I had at Ruby Foo’s.

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Foo Me Once. . . . Part 2

But to stave off the sinking feeling that the inevitable downhill slide of expectations had started, I braced myself with a tasty, country styled mojito, with heavy honey notes, a little small in size, which is maybe why I had to have two. The food took a long time to arrive--about 20 mins after our orders. Since my husband and I both had mojitos, we weren't noticing the lack of food very much, but my 8 year old reminded me every 3 minutes he was hungry.

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Foo Me Once . . . Part 1

In reliance on NYMag's critics' choice rating, which I have believed to be rigorous (with actually very little direct experience I’ll admit), I persuaded my family to have lunch at Ruby Foo's on Sunday (Nov 15, 2009) because we were visiting ToysRUs on Times Square (two adults, an eight year old and a toddler). First impression against my mental NYMag checklist: over the top decor: check. Kitschy: check. Friendly wait staff: check. Skinny menu: wait, I wasn't expecting that, but I wasn’t deterred. I am after all a fan of NYMag and believed that the tough food critics wouldn’t let me down.

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61 out of 127 people found this review helpful.